A series of intense Israeli airstrikes shook Yemen's rebel-held capital and a port city early on Thursday and killed at least nine people, officials said, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel.

Thursday’s strikes risk further escalating conflict with the Iranian-backed Houthis, whose attacks on the Red Sea corridor have drastically impacted global shipping.

The rebels have so far avoided the same level of intense military strikes that have targeted Palestinian militant group Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah

Iran, which backs the group, denounced the raids as a "flagrant violation of the principles and norms of international law and the UN Charter."

Israel's raids came after it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen.

The Houthis have regularly targeted Israel over its military operation in Gaza.

Israel's military said it "conducted precise strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen -- including ports and energy infrastructure in Sanaa, which the Houthis have been using in ways that effectively contributed to their military actions."

"I warn the leaders of the Houthi terrorist organisation: Israel's long arm will reach you too," Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said.

Al-Masira, a media channel belonging to the Houthis, said a series of "aggressive raids" were launched in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and the port city of Hodeidah.

It reported raids that "targeted two central power plants" in and around Yemen's capital Sanaa, while in Hodeidah it said "the enemy launched four aggressive raids targeting the port... and two raids targeting" an oil facility.

It said strikes on the Al-Saleef port had killed seven people, while two more were killed and other injured in the strike on the oil facility.

The strikes came after Israel's military intercepted a missile from Yemen for the second time this week.

On Monday, the Houthis claimed a missile launch they said was aimed at "a military target of the Israeli enemy in the occupied area of Yaffa" -- a reference to Israel's Tel Aviv area.

Also Monday, an Israeli navy missile boat intercepted a drone in the Mediterranean after it was launched from Yemen, the military said.

The Houthis have said they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and pledged Monday to continue operations "until the aggression on Gaza stops and the siege is lifted".

On December 9, a drone claimed by Houthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.

In July, a Houthi drone attack in Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

The Houthis have also regularly targeted shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, leading to retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets by United States and sometimes British forces.

Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said the group had become a "global threat," pointing to Iran's support for the rebels.

"We will continue to act against anyone, anyone in the Middle East, that threatens the state of Israel," he said. (Agencies)